Patriots game notes from a sorry performance in Detroit

Monday

Team notes on the Patriots from Sunday night's 26-10 loss to the Lions.

Game notes provided by the Patriots:

GAME NOTES

New England Patriots at Detroit Lions – September 23, 2018

TEAM NOTES

Brady has most touchdown passes of any quarterback in his 40s.
The Brady and Gronkowski connection moves past Tony Romo and Jason Witten

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

BRADY HAS THE MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES FOR A PLAYER IN HIS 40S

QB Tom Brady now has 38 touchdown passes in his 40s, with 32 touchdown passes in 2017 and 6 in 2018 to move past Warren Moon (37). Brett Favre is next in line with 36 touchdowns in his 40s. Brady reached the milestone on a 10-yard touchdown pass to RB James White in the third quarter.

GRONK AND BRADY PASS ROMO AND WITTEN

TE Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady have connected for 7,293 yards after connecting on 51 yards against Detroit, to move past Tony Romo and Jason Witten (7,287) for the second-most yards between a quarterback and a tight end in NFL history. Gronkowski and Brady entered the game needing 46 yards to move into second place.

Most Receiving Yards Between a QB and TE in NFL History

Quarterback Tight End Team Rec. Yds.

Philip Rivers Antonio Gates SD/LAC 9,035

Tom Brady Rob Gronkowski New England 7,293

Tony Romo Jason Witten Dallas 7,287

RB JAMES WHITE CATCHES TD PASSES; LEADS ALL RUNNING BACKS SINCE 2015

RB James White scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Tom Brady in the third quarter. It marked his 14th receiving touchdown since 2015 and second of the 2018 season, the most by a running back in the NFL during that time. It is the third-most by a Patriots running back overall, behind Larry Garron (26) and Kevin Faulk (15).

Running Back with the Most Receiving Touchdowns since 2015

James White (New England) 14

Theo Riddick (Detroit) 10

Chris Thompson (Washington) 9

Melvin Gordon (L.A. Chargers) 9

David Johnson (Arizona) 8

Most Receiving Touchdowns by a Patriots Running Back

Larry Garron 26

Kevin Faulk 15

James White 14

Tony Collins 12

ROOKIE LB JA’WHAUN BENTLEY RECORDS FIRST NFL PICK

2018 fifth-round draft pick LB Ja’Whaun Benetley recorded his first NFL interception when he picked off Detroit QB Matthew Stafford to end the Lions first drive in the third quarter. He had two interceptions during his college career at Purdue. Bentley is the first Patriots rookie to record an interception since DL Dominque Easley at Minnesota on Sept. 1, 2014.

WR CORDARRELLE PATERSON RETURNED THE OPENING KICK 45 YARDS;

HIS 29 KICKOFF RETURNS OF 40 OR ORE YARDS ARE MOST AMONG ACTIVE PLAYERS

WR Cordarrelle Patterson returned the opening kickoff 45 yards. He has returned 29 kickoffs for at least 40 yards during his career. His 29 kickoff returns of 40 or more yards are the most among all active players. Darren Sproles is second with 27 kickoff returns of 40 or more yards among active players.

K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI DRILLS 35TH STRAIGHT FIELD GOAL UNDER 40 YARDS

K Stephen Gostkowski made a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter to extend his streak to 35 straight field goals under 40 yards in the regular season. That streak is third among active NFL players, behind Ryan Succop (50) and Cody Parkey (36).

LINEUP NOTES

2018 FIRST-ROUND DRAFT POICK RB SONY MICHEL MAKES THE START

2018 first-round draft pick RB Sony Michel made his first NFL start. He led the team with 14 carries for 50 yards.

DL DEREK RIVERS SEES FIRST NFL ACTION

DL Derek Rivers, who spent the 2017 season on injured reserve, played in his first NFL game after being inactive for the first two games. He saw his first action in the first quarter on defense.

2018 SEVENTH-ROUND DRAFT PICK DB KEION CROSSEN PLAYS IN HIS FIRST GAME

2018 seventh-round draft pick DB Keion Crossen played in his first regular-season game after being inactive for the first two games.

ROOKIE FREE AGENT DB J.C. JACKSON MAKES HIS DEBUT

Rookie DB J.C. Jackson made his NFL debut after being inactive for the first two games.

DB JASON MCCOURTY MAKES FIRST START AS A MEMBER OF THE PATRIOTS

DB Jason McCourty made his first start as a member of the Patriots, replacing injured DB Eric Rowe at cornerback.

DB CYRUS JONES MAKES 2018 DEBUT

DB Cyrus Jones was signed back to the Patriots during the week before the game and played in his first game since Dec. 24, 2016. He was on injured reserve for the 2017 season.

OL MARCUS CANNON RETURNS TO THE STARTING LINEUP

OL Marcus Cannon returned to the starting lineup at right tackle after missing the previous game with an injury.

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